Trapped in a Feudal Fairy Tale
by Nox Silverlight
Summary: A young girl struggles with the prospect of being trapped in the feudal era and being torn away from everyone she's ever know and been connected to while she helps Kagome and her friends collect jewel shards. Stress and worries at her predicament keep her awake at night, and what else is there to do than to talk to the only person that remains awake just as long as she does? InuXOC
1. Chapter 1 - Arrival

"Here ye are," A kindly old woman smiled as reassuringly as she could manage as she set a steaming cup of tea in front the flustered girl that sat at across from her in her hut. She had her eyes firmly locked on her hands that were rolled into fists gripping the edge of her green skirt. The graying woman sighed at the young girl's troubled state, though she couldn't blame the child. "Through the tree, ye said?" she asked again, making sure she understood the story she had told her before. The girl nodded, but didn't say any more than she had earlier.

From what the haggard priestess had managed to coax out of the otherworldly girl, she had been with her friend from school, who she had gathered to be Kagome, and had been visiting her home to work on something together. They had decided to work outside and Kagome had gone in the house for a moment so she waited next to the tree the old woman had understood was the sacred tree InuYasha had been bound to. She had gone closer to the tree to examine it, as her own family had a shrine dedicated to many sacred plants and trees, and tripped. Instead of hitting her head against the trunk, she had apparently fallen through the wood and into 'that freaky guy with the dog ears.'

"I'm sorry, Kaede-sama," the girl sighed, her shoulders slumping as she hung her head, "I'm just so confused about everything that's happening. I just don't understand how I could really be in feudal Japan. It doesn't make any since."

The old woman chuckled to herself, "Ye are taking it better than Kagome did, at least. She kept insisting it be a dream." She took a long, hardy drink from her own tea then explained, "Ye be here because the tree ye had fallen through has been standing for centuries. It be linked to your time through the ages it has survived from this world and on through to ye own. Only I don't know how ye fell through."

"But how does Kagome come back then if she doesn't do it through the tree?" the girl became slightly panicked at the idea of being stuck in a world she was so unfamiliar with.

"She uses the Bone Eaters Well," the sagely woman explained, "It be made from the wood of another Tree of Ages and connects to ye time the same way the tree does."

"Seika!" Another girl dressed in the same green school uniform as the brunette in front of Kaede cried as she came through the door of the hut. "Oh my god, I was so worried! I came back outside and you were gone," she sat down beside her school mate and hugged her. "InuYasha said you came out of the tree," she half questioned, half stated as she sat back.

"InuYasha?" Seika mumbled to herself in mild confusion before the strange silver-haired man she had fallen on top of in her arrival walked through the door and threw himself down on the floor in an irritated huff. "That's his name?"

"Seika," Kagome called, drawing her attention back to her statement, "Is that what happened?"

Seika scratched at her long chocolate locks, "Uh, yeah, I don't really understand it."

"Didn't your mom and grandma always say the women in your family were something called earth witches or something?" she asked while rummaging through the bag she had brought with her.

"Well, yeah," she shrugged to herself, "And we have a lot of sacred plants and what not around our family shrine, like you do, but it's not like its true or any-" Kagome thrust an old yellowed letter along with a fresher one in the girls face, interrupting her, "What's this?"

"I freaked out when you disappeared so the first place I went to was your house," the girl explained as she accepted a cup of tea from the elderly woman, "When I explained that I couldn't find you to your mom, she gave me those and said I'd find you in the past. I didn't understand what she meant until InuYasha showed up and said there was someone that was dressed like me here. I guess they say what's supposed to be going on. Your mom was really calm when I told her you were missing, and a little sad. I think she knew something like this was going to happen."

Seika stared at the letters in her hands with serious green eyes full of anxiety. She couldn't say how she knew, but neither of them bore good news. With a deep breath, she opened the newer envelope, assuming it was from her mother.

_'My Dear Seika,_

_I know you must be terribly confused and afraid right now, but don't worry. You are a strong young woman and I know you will do great things with your life. I wish we had more time together, but I know you're ready for what's to come._

_I'm sorry I didn't tell you about this sooner, you simply wouldn't have understood if I had. I didn't believe it when my mother told me, not until I was older and began to see the things you could do. I'm so sorry._

_Just know that I love you very much, and I am so proud of you!_

_Love always,_

_Your Mother.'_

"This sounds like a goodbye letter," she whispered and her heart sank as she let her eyes run over her mother's curly script again. She took a deep breath, tears beginning to sting the corners of her eyes, and tore her attention from her mother's letter in begrudging favor for the old tattered document, taking care while opening it for fear of tearing it.

_'I have woken in the night from a wondrous dream. There is to be a magnificent happening some time from now._

_The world will have changed dramatically from what it is now, but my family will strive on, strong and ever a part of the earth._

_There will be a young girl from this strange new world that will return to these times and do wondrous things._

_She will help to make whole a precious shattered gem and bring happiness to a many people with her overwhelmingly powerful gifts from the earth in her life time._

_I am convinced this is not simply a dream. I write this in hopes that the day this young girl is birthed to this world, she will believe this story with my help._

_Know that whoever you are, you are immensely powerful in so many ways._

_May your ancestors watch over and guide you.'_

Seika stared at the paper a moment longer before quietly setting it on the table. Kagome looked at her expectantly, waiting to hear what the letters said. Instead, she watched as her usually calm and collected friend let out a shuttered breath, followed shortly by large tears. "Seika? What did they say?" Kagome asked with concern. Surely it couldn't be that bad.

"I'm stuck here," she choked and sobbed into her sleeves, "I don't think I can leave." The girl buried her face in her arms and wept. Kagome noticed InuYasha's subtle escape as she consoled her distraught friend and shook her head. He couldn't even be around a crying woman when he barely knew them. "I don't understand. Why is this happening?"

* * *

><p>AN: For anyone that may recognize some similarities between this and story called 'The Moment a Man's World Stands Still', this is the beginning of that story, the events that lead up to InuYasha and Seika getting to the point that is that oneshot, and the events that occur after.

Like always, updates will not be consistent but I've been working on this one pretty steadily, so hopefully you guys won't have to wait long between chapters. I'll just have to work harder on not updating too frequently so that I'll have something to post when it's actually time to post something XD

I would like to take this opportunity to ask that no one label Seika as a Mary Sue just yet and think she's only going to replace Kagome in the story, because that's not the case at all. Just, please, give Seika the chance to show you that she is her own person and that she's more than just a knock off Kagome.

Let me know what you think so I can get a better idea of what direction to head in.

Love, peace, and chicken grease!

~Nox


	2. Chapter 2 - Breaking Rules

"It'll be alright, Seika," Kagome murmured to the distraught girl, "It's not that bad in this time, really. There are a lot of great people here. I'll introduce you to them when they get back from their trip. And InuYasha is here, too. He's not so bad. Sometimes he can even be kind of nice."

"I Heard That!" a decidedly male voice yelled from just outside the hut. Of course he'd still be in earshot despite being so uncomfortable around a crying woman.

Kagome rolled her eyes but otherwise ignored him. "Come on, Seika, try not to be so sad. Maybe you're wrong. I can come and go after all, maybe you can, too." She knew she was grasping at straws but she didn't know what else to do. She remembered the first time she had ended up in the feudal era and how she felt when she thought she was stuck. Her heart ached for her friend.

The girl sat up with watery green orbs reflecting the sorrow that pervaded her heart, "I don't think so. It says I'm supposed to bring happiness to many people in my life. I don't think I'm going home again, Kagome." She sounded utterly defeated.

The young priestess sighed. "It's really not that bad here," she offered again, receiving only a more broken expression from her friend. She had nothing else to tell her. She had been so relieved to find out she could come and go as she pleased. She had no idea what it must feel like to know you were completely cut off from almost everyone you had ever known.

"Sleep on it, child," the old woman hummed in a soothing voice, "The burdens of today will not seem so heavy after a good night's sleep."

She nodded mechanically to the aged priestess. Tucking the letters away in their respective envelopes, she took a courteous sip of tea, remembering her manners as a respectful guest, before heading off to the bed Kaede had prepared for her earlier.

Seika curled into a ball on her side, wrapping her blanket tight around her, the only form of comfort that was familiar to her at the moment. She'd never see her mother or grandmother again. She'd never have a real home again. In this world, she was an orphan, suddenly without a single precious thing from her own time. Sure, Kagome would probably be willing to bring her anything she asked for from home, but she'd never be able to bring her mother or anything else that truly mattered now.

In that moment, Seika felt more alone than she ever had in her life, and she fell asleep with tears drying on her cheeks.

Sunlight shined into the little hut from the door and windows, filling the home with the warmth of the morning. Seika peeked out from under her blanket, sleep still heavy on her eyes. As much as she had wished for it, yesterday's incident did not just end up being a cruel dream. Kaede was right about sleeping on the subject, however. She was nowhere near happy, but she did feel a little lighter than the night before. It would not be an easy day for her.

She stretched and yawned quietly before crawling out from under her source of comfort and folding her sleeping mat up to place it in the corner of the room where it would be out of the way. She shuffled into the front room of the hut where Kagome and Kaede were already seated to breakfast. Seika sat down quietly and sipped at the tea that was offered to her.

"How do you feel?" Kagome asked tenderly, knowing there couldn't have been much improvement from yesterday.

"Better," Seika mumbled, "Not good, but better." She pushed the food in front of her around without really eating any of it, her appetite having vanished rapidly since the 'incident' yesterday. "I was thinking of writing a letter back to my mom," she said quietly, "Would you mind taking it to her?"

"Not at all!" Kagome exclaimed, happy to be able to do something that would make her feel better. She quickly dug through her bag for her spare notebook and pen, sliding them across the table to her. "I need to head back for some other things anyway."

"Thanks," she muttered again before she started writing. She didn't like the idea of using Kagome as a messenger bird, but she needed closure, and if she was feeling this lost, her mother had to be beside herself. She needed to let her know that she didn't blame her for not telling her what was going to happen. She needed to tell her to make sure to walk her dog, Shinji, every day and to water the plants when it started to get too hot and that she had to use a certain type of soy sauce for grandma. She rubbed at her eyes when the words started blurring on the page. Her mother was so scatter brained some times. "How will she survive without me?" she sniffled and tried to gather her bearings.

She suddenly realized she was alone and was grateful the two had given her some privacy to write her letter. The last thing she wanted was for Kagome to feel like she had to comfort her again. Taking a deep breath, she fought through her tears and finished her letter.

When Kagome had come back a while later, she found Seika still sitting at the table staring at the folded up pages from her notebook she had used. "Do you want me to bring anything back for you?" She asked quietly.

"No," she sighed after a moment then handed the note to her friend. "Just give this to my mom, please."

Kagome nodded and put the letter in her bag. "My friends should be back sometime today," she said brightly, trying to change to a happier subject. "InuYasha probably won't introduce them to you, but Kaede should. They're really nice; I think you'll like them." She received a solemn nod in response. "You shouldn't stay inside all day," she said, "Try taking a walk around the village. The fresh air may make you feel better." She waived from the door way as she made her way back to the Bone Eater's Well and Seika was alone again.

Ever paranoid, InuYasha followed Kagome to the well in case of any sudden attacks. He soon regretted the decision when Kagome launched into a lecture about him being nice to her friend. "I don't care if you don't like her or just don't care about what's happening to her. She's having a hard time with all of this right now, so be nice!"

She stopped at the well and turned back to him, waiving a menacing finger in his face, "If I find out you've made her cry more than she already has, I'll make you pay."

And the hanyou knew she wasn't lying. Despite the threat, he barked back, "Why do you always accuse me? I haven't even said anything to her yet!" He was aware nothing he said would make her situation any better than it was now – in fact he was fairly certain that if she was anything like Kagome was when she first showed up, everything he said would be taken as a verbal attack – so he chose the easiest option and kept his mouth shut when he was around her.

"That's probably best," Kagome huffed back before jumping down the well.

"SHADDAP!" He yelled down the well at her in true InuYasha fashion, sure she was probably already in her own time and didn't hear him.

She really wasn't in any mood to do anything at the moment, let alone go for a walk around the village she was now trapped in, but Seika knew Kagome was right. She didn't need to stay inside any more than she already had, all it did was give her more time to think about her pitiful situation and make her feel worse. Either way she was going to end up more miserable, so she might as well familiarize herself with the area she'd be in from now on.

She figured the villagers were used to seeing Kagome enough that they wouldn't stare at her, but apparently having the same school uniform only made her stand out more when they realized she wasn't who they thought she was.

Desperate to get away from prying eyes, she traced her way back to the tree that had become her doorway into the feudal era. A pang of hope sparked in her heart when she remembered Kagome saying she may be able to transcend time like she did. Climbing the large roots, taking note they weren't nearly this difficult to climb from her own era, she held her breath as she brought her hand up to the bare spot in the bark, just as she had done the first time.

Her hand connected solidly with the bare wood of the tree, refusing to give at all. The spark she had diminished, the finality of her prison resonating almost painfully throughout her entire body. She looked up to the sky that peaked through the canopy above her, wishing for not a way out, but for the strength to carry on a life in the time she was now a part of.

She sighed and rested her forehead against the tree. "You brought me here for a reason," she mumbled to the tree, resorting to her stress-induced habit of speaking to the plants around her, "I hope you know what you're doing, tree."

"Are you stupid or something?"

Seika turned around and saw InuYasha standing a few yards away with his hands in his sleeves giving her a strange look. Suddenly a look of mild horror crossed his features as he realized his 'don't say anything stupid' rule had been broken, before it disappeared again as quickly as it came. "I talk to plants," she said bluntly, "I always have. It calms me down."

He seemed to fight against himself for a moment before blurting out, "That's stupid."

She looked down at the roots under her feet, causing InuYasha to panic slightly at the realization that he might have just broken the one rule Kagome had given him. She looked back up at him and asked, "You think so?" she looked back at the tree and touched it affectionately, despite it having been the instrument of her entrapment, "I think it's nice to have something that will listen to you talk when there's no one else around to talk to."

He was surprised at her reaction. Kagome usually just yelled at him for being insensitive. In fact, that's what most people did, and this girl had every right to with everything that had happened to her, but she simply turned a blind eye to it. "It's still stupid," he repeated, curious about this newcomer's temperament.

Seika just hummed to herself and sat down on the roots, resting her back against the tree. She breathed in the crisp morning air and sighed. "I would always complain to my grandma that there were never enough trees in Japan anymore. It's ironic that I'm stuck in a place that has nothing but trees now. In retrospect, it's probably better for me that I'm here now. I just wish I had the chance to actually say goodbye to my family. I feel like I've been abandoned the way things turned out."

"Who are you talking to?" he snapped, irritated that she just assumed he would want to listen to her talk about her problems.

She shrugged, not even gracing him with a glance, "Whoever will listen." Her voice was almost a whisper as she seemed to stare off into nothingness.

InuYasha grimaced. This girl was way too depressing for him to deal with. He wasn't good at handling women on a good day, let alone one that had just been ripped away from everything she used to know. The sooner Kagome or Sango got back, the better. Deciding it was better for his own health to get away from the down-hearted girl before he really screwed up, InuYasha headed back towards the village. A nagging voice in the back of his mind that sounded strangely like Kagome told him it was probably a terrible idea to leave the girl on her own, but his instinct of self-preservation kept him from turning back. At least until he reached the edge of the village and heard a piercing scream fill the air and he realized what a horrible decision that was.

* * *

><p>AN: I'M SO SORRY! I DIDN'T REALIZE HOW LONG IT WAS SINCE I POSTED THE FIRST CHAPTER! HERE'S THE NEW ONE! I MADE IT LONGER TO APOLOGIZE!

I really like this chapter because I feel like it kind of shows Seika's inner strength. The main purpose for this chapter was to really express her devastation by the whole ordeal but also how she almost refuses to just roll over and die because of it. (I think Seika is one of the most well rounded characters I've ever come up with and you guys will see why in later chapters.)

Sorry again for the extended wait for the new chapter. I'll try to update before another month and a half rolls by without me realizing it.

~Nox


End file.
